Syria lament loss of famed Hollywood film director Moustafa Akkad in explosion
Syria-USA, Local, 11/12/2005

The two Syrian Ministries of Culture and Information on Friday lamented the death of the international Syrian film Director, Moustafa Akkad and his daughter Rima who were victims of the latest terrorist bombing in Jordan.

The body of late Akkad will be buried in Aleppo, his home town.

President Bashar al-Assad, earlier directed Syria's Ambassador to Jordan Ali Hammoud to visit Akkad at the hospital in Amman, and to express condolences for the death of his daughter Rima.

Akkad is considered one of the greatest international film directors who one several Arab and world awards. He is well known for his films, the Message, and Omar Moukhtar. A Sofia News Agency report referred to his film "Lion of the Desert."

The BBC noted that the Syrian-born Hollywood producer Moustafa Akkad "was behind the Halloween horror films and the Anthony Quinn epic The Message"

The late director arrived in Amman last Wednesday to attend a wedding in Aqapa by the Dead Sea on Friday. He was receiving his daughter at the hotel door when an explosion took off to kill the daughter and cause bad injuries in al-Aqqad.

The great late Director was born in Aleppo, north Syria in 1934, and moved to study cinema in the United States in 1954. He studied Theater arts at Los Angeles University in California to graduate in 1958.

Al-Aqqad is considered one of the greatest international Directors. His masterpieces were the famous Al-Rissala (the Message) of the Islamic religion emergence and Omar al-Moukhtar of the famous Libyan national figure who combated Italian colonialism and was hanged by their forces of occupation. He was preparing to shoot a film of great figure in Arab history Sallahaddin.

"God brace him with mercy.. He will remain alive in his country's and nation's memory due to his genuine art creation and we offer his family sincere condolences," a Syrian Cinema critic said.

He was preparing a film on the Arab great military leader, Salahuddin who liberated the Arab city of Jerusalem from the occupation of the crusaders.

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